Water-power mechanism.



J. S. BEAVER.

WATER POWER MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1911. RENEWED APR. 4, 1913.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Snow Wow COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0..WASH|NGTON. D4 c JOHN S. BEAVER, OF ENTRIKEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

WATER-POWER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13,1914.

Application filed May 15, 1911, Serial No. 627,184. Renewed April 4, 1913. Serial No. 758,955.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. BEAVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Entriken, in the county of Huntingdon, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Power Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to water power mechanisms and has for an object to provide a fiume having a laterally converged port the narrower end of which is centered rela tively to the buckets of the water wheel and is turned away from the direction of rotation thereof so that the flow from the narrower end of the port will fill in the center of a registering bucket of the wheel prior to the flow from the branches of the port filling the ends of the bucket and serve to force air to escape from the bucket along the bucket ends.

A. second object of the invention is to provide a slide valve for the port having a substantially laterally converging leading end which is sharpened to cut rubbish and the like choking the port, and further serves to maintain the laterally converging contour of the port regardless of the extent to which the valve is moved to partially close the ort.

p In the usual construction of forebays, the water passes out upon the wheel in a fiat sheet. The result is that as the water rushes onto the wheel under the head in the forebay it entrains air and carries it into the bucket and traps air in the bottom of the bucket. This air of course prevents the complete filling of the bucket and the consequence is that when the bucket passes from registration with the port of the forebay, instead of being full of water alone, it is full of water and air. As the bucket passes downwardly the air bubbles out and in practice it is found that the bucket is only about one-third full of Water, the remaining twothirds having been occupied by air.

With the present invention, the water is admitted first at the center of the bucket, the ingress of water continuing in the directions of the ends of the bucket. The result is that more than again as much power can be obtained as the water enters at the center of the bucket falls clear to the bottom of the bucket then flows along the bucket and forces the air to escape along the bucket ends. The parts are so arranged and proportioned that before a bucket passes from registration with the port, it is entirely full of water with no air whatever. As a result, the full eliiciency of the water wheel is developed, running at any speed water can run.

lVith the above objects in view the invention consists in novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, .it being understood that various modifications may be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification: Figure 1 is a plan view of a water power mechanism embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the flume of the mechanism, showing the water wheels in side elevation and with parts broken away.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts, 10 and 11 designate water wheels patented to J. Beaver or of ordinary kind, the wheels being mounted for rotation in opposite directions. Each wheel comprises in general spaced sides 12 between which is rotatably mounted a cylinder 13 having peripheral buckets ll. These wheels as stated, are of the usual kind, buckets and rims patented to J. Beaver, and form a part of the present invention.

The fiume comprising the subject-matter of this invention is exactly level and conr prises spaced sides 15 connected by a bottom 16, the sides and bottom being connected at the end of the flume by an end wall 17 which bears not quite upon the sides of the water wheel 10 as shown in Fig. 2. It is to be understood that the flume is in vertical alinement with both of the water wheels 10 and 11.

Formed in the bottom of the flume is a pair of oppositely turned or laterally converging ports 18, one overlying each water wheel, and having its narrower end centered relatively to the buckets 1st of the water wheel, and turned away from the direction of rotation of the wheel. By now referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that by this construction, the flow through the laterally converging port will enter the center of a bucket at the moment the bucket comes into registration with the port, on approximately the central diameter of the bucket, and fall to the bottom of the bucket then spread toward the ends of the bucket during continued rotation of the bucket, thus forcing the air which may be in the bucket prior to its registration with the port, toward the ends of the bucket from where it escapes without offering obstruction to the complete filling of the bucket before it passes out of registration with the port.

For closing each port a substantially triangular valve 19 is mounted to slide on the bottom of the flume and the leading edges of the valve are sharpened as shown at 20 to cut rubbish or the like which may lodge in the port so that the complete closing of the valve is assured at all times. The leading edges of the valve as will be noted are similar in outline to the mower section shape of the related port so that upon partial closing of the valve, as may be seen by referring to Fig. l, the V contour of the port will be maintained and thus the flow from the port directed into the related water wheel as above described regardless of whether the port is completely opened to permit of a maximum flow therethrough or nearly closed to permit of a minimum fiow therethrough.

F or closing each valve 19, a shaft 20 is journaled in the sides of the fiume and is equipped with spaced pinions 21 which mesh with racks 22 carried upon the top face of the valve. One end of the shaft projects through the side of the flume and is equipped with a bevel pinion 23 which meshes with a pinion 24 carried upon a key 25 which is equipped with a hand wheel or the like 26. According to the rotation of the key the valve will be moved to open or closed position.

F or preventing distortion of the sides of each port, a plurality of slats 27 are fixed to the bottom of the flume and bridge the ports as may be seen from Fig. 1. These slats in addition to performing a bracing function also prevent the escape of rubbish and the like to the water wheel and keep the sharp edge of the valve with a heavy weight of water on it from cutting against the opposite edge of the port and obstructing the entire closing thereof.

lVhat is claimed is,

1. In a water power mechanism, a water wheel, a fiume above the wheel having a laterally converged port the narrower end of which is centered relatively to the buckets of the wheel and is turned away from the direction of rotation of the wheel, whereby the flow from the narrower end will fill the center of a registering bucket prior to the flow from the branches of the port filling the ends of the bucket and serve to force air to escape from the bucket along the bucket ends, and a slide valve for controlling the extent of opening of said port.

2. In a water power mechanism, a water wheel, a flume above the water wheel having a substantially laterally converged port, the narrower end of which is centered relatively to the buckets of the wheel and is turned away from the direction of rotation of the wheel, a slide valve having a laterally converged leading end conforming to the outline of said port and serving to maintain the V contour of the same regardless of the extent to which the valve is moved to partially close the port, and manually controlled means for moving said valve to open and closed position.

3. In a water power mechanism, a water wheel, a fiume above the wheel having a substantially laterally converged port the narrower end of which is centered relatively to the buckets of the wheel and is turned away from the direction of rotation of the wheel, whereby the flow from the narrower end will fill the center of a registering bucket prior to the flow from the branches of the port filling the ends of the bucket and serve to force air to escape from the bucket along the bucket ends.

In testimony whereof, I afiiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. BEAVER.

Witnesses Jos. H. BLAoKwooD, GEO. H. CHANDLEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents.

Washington, D. C. 

